PRIMARY SOURCE REPORT – TRIAL OF MADELEINE SMITH
F.Tennyson Jesse (ed.), Trial of Madeleine Smith [Call number is Law Q60 SM12] [contains a transcript of a selection of Madeleine Smith’s letters] – Extract, pp 305-337 of Correspondence.
Public respectability and social status was a key requisite in upper-middle-class Victorian Britain. Another significant cultural characteristic of nineteenth century Britain was the importance of family as a source in identifying a socially and economically fitting marriage partner for middle class women. Gordon and Nair argue that even though individuals had the choice of marriage partner it was not an unhindered choice. The social separation of classes made it improbable that an inappropriate match would be encountered, however even in the contained social circles of the middle classes, when the system of self-regulation failed, parental influence came into play. Possibly the best example of this mismatch of culture and class can be seen in the notorious court case of Madeleine Smith and Emile L’Angelier and their scandalous love affair that led to Smith being tried for his murder and acquitted on a “not proven” verdict.
The 1927 book “The Trial of Madeleine Smith”, by feminist writer, journalist and playwright F Tennyson Jesse contains the full transcripts of Smith’s private letters to her lover from 1855 to 1856. These transcripts formed the basis of evidence against Smith at her trial. In comparison to other kinds of written
Americans hear about all sorts of murders on the news almost every day. It is not strange for us. However, murder of two young children by their own mother is astounding news. In the case of Susan Smith, no matter how she claims she was not in her right mind that night she murdered her children, she is definitely not a victim. There are many alternatives to relieving your duty as a mother. Murder should not be on top of a mother’s list even if she was mentally ill.
In July of 2008, one of the biggest crime cases devastated the United States nation-wide. The death of Caylee Anthony, a two year old baby, became the most popular topic in a brief amount of time. Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, became the main suspect after the child supposedly was kidnapped and went missing. To this day, the Casey Anthony case shocks me because justice, in my opinion, wasn’t served. I feel as if the criminal conviction system became somewhat corrupted in this case. The entire nation, including the court system, knew that Casey Anthony was behind this criminal act, but yet she escaped all charges. I chose this case not only because it’s debatable, but also to help state the obvious, this case was handled the wrong way.
Three witnesses on Monday including the girlfriend of the man accused of stabbing to death a Humboldt State University student during a house party in the early morning hours of April 15 said the alleged attacker was beaten repeatedly by a crowd at the scene. The witnesses testified during a preliminary hearing in the Humboldt County courthouse.
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s short story “The Long Arm” is based on the famous Lizzie Borden narrative, following the prominent story of a daughter being accused of the murder of her miserly father. Both Lizzie and her fictional counterpart, Sarah Fairbanks, were made to look guilty based on the destruction (or alteration, in Sarah’s case) of a dress that was thought to hold incriminating evidence. However, they both were acquitted based on a lack of compelling evidence against them. Despite these similarities, Freeman did change some aspects of the tale in order to provide a commentary on gender and more closure than the Borden case provided. In the story, Freeman provided Sarah a love interest (whom her father disapproved of), which offered her an additional motive. The forlorn lover, Henry, gave authorities another possible suspect in the case. While there has been some speculation of Lizzie having a secret lover, no theories have been proven, and certainly no romantic interests were accused of the murders. Another addition to “The Long Arm” was a clear confession of guilt at the end of the story, including a clear motive and step-by-step depiction of the whole ordeal. Freeman also excluded prominent figures from her version of the narrative, such as Abby Borden (Lizzie’s stepmother and second murder victim), Emma Borden (Lizzie’s older sister), and Bridget (the family maid).
The Lizzie Borden case has mystified and fascinated those interested in crime forover on hundred years. Very few cases in American history have attracted as much attention as the hatchet murders of Andrew J. Borden and his wife, Abby Borden. The bloodiness of the acts in an otherwise respectable late nineteenth century domestic setting is startling. Along with the gruesome nature of the crimes is the unexpected character of the accused, not a hatchet-wielding maniac, but a church-going, Sunday-school-teaching, respectable, spinster-
2. Why did the defense attorneys for Lila Jimerson and Nancy Bowen, defendants in the 1930 Buffalo, NY murder trials of Clothilde Marchand, use witchcraft as part of their legal strategy to keep their clients from being executed in New York state for Second degree murder? How did these attorneys demonstrate that Henri Marchand, husband of the deceased Mrs. Clothilde Marchand, was involved in this ‘witchcraft scenario’ though he strenuously denied it during the trials? Include material from “The Red Lilac of the Cayugas: Traditional Indian Laws and Culture Conflict in a Witchcraft Trial in Buffalo, New York, 1930” by Sidney Harring in Spellbound, edited by Elizabeth Reis in your essay.
Harriet Ann Jacobs helped start a movement of anti-slavery writing that, through literature, would eventually help change society’s view of slavery. Jacobs’ “Incidents” was written for an audience of free white women and its purpose was to involve these women in political action against the institution of chattel slavery and the ideology of white racism” confirming herself as an anti-slavery writer using a fictional character and different voice to tell truth (Yellin
Aware that this concept of marriage is a tool for financial security would be misunderstood in a society where women are liberated and independent; Weldon has brought the idea into the 20th century Australia. Weldon has made the connection between Charlotte’s marriage to Mr Collins and the Australian “rich land owners import Asian girls as wives.” The introduction of television and the internet in our context has made the suffering and hardships of foreigner’s woman extremely accessible, therefore we are able to sympathise with and understand why these women would forfeit their chance of true love in order to “escape the hunger and poverty of their own lands.” Through the connection modern responders are able to appreciate the importance of marriage held within society and are able to understand more completely that by making “the business of her life to get her five daughters married, Mrs Bennet was protecting her daughters from financial
“These scholars note that Victorians often bowed to conformity, concealing their true natures and tastes and pretending to adhere to social norms. Some Victorians passed themselves off as more pious or moral than they really were. But in reality, pornographic literature and prostitution were common phenomena during the late nineteenth century, showing that some Victorians only pretended to lead chaste lives.”(Joyce Moss)
Although Highbury was just a small population town, the particular social structure was reflecting this type of class structure about Britain. For instance, the love amongst Robert Martin and Harriet was not acceptable in Emma’s eyes. Robert Martin was a successful respectable farmer; Harriet is a friend of Emma and illegitimate of a tradesman nevertheless she received well cared and properly educated. So Emma couldn’t agree while Mr. Martin proposed marriage to Harriet, subsequently Emma Convinced Harriet to Refused to associate with Robert Martin. And try to match Harriet and Mr. Elton who was considered as higher rank of society status, young priest with record of great educating. In Emma describe of Mr. Martin “he may be the richest of the two, but he is undoubtedly her inferior as to rank in society.”(Emma, Chapter7, and p.33) it is clear that time, marriage most depended on and compromised with the values of their social status.
The legal system works well even if people criticize it and say that it is flawed and invalid. Some cases might be hard to understand and hard to solve at first, but in the end, most cases get solved. People claim that the wrong people get arrested because the legal system does not correctly do its job. Most cases are actually solved with the correct verdict. The Trial of Lizzie Borden was a confusing court case with many factors that did not add up at first, but eventually, everything did. Lizzie Borden was guilty. In Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4 , 1892, the Borden family’s maid, Maggie Sullivan discovered the bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden. The maid was resting in her bed upstairs after cleaning and heard Lizzie Borden, the
During John Wilkes Booth’s manhunt the officers captured George Atzerodt, Lewis Payne, David Herold, Mary Surratt and more. The officials put Mary Surratt on trial to determine whether she took part of the assassination plan or was innocent. It was a trial on life or death. Frederick Aiken was appointed as Mary Surratt's defendant, and Joseph Holt was the opposer. The case ended with Edwin Stanton bending the judges beliefs and announcing that Mary would be hung.
One of the most controversial and polemic trials of all times since the OJ Simpson trial was the case of Casey Anthony and the murder of her two year old daughter. All the evidences and witness revealed that she was the main suspect in the murder of her daughter; however in 2011 she was found not guilty of this murder due to several different aspects. This paper will inform and provide the reader with detailed information about this case. In addition the reader will find out what was the outcome of this case and will provide the evidence and will summarize the criminal procedures that occurred from arrest through appeal. The elements of the crime and the evidence which prove that she was guilty will be
Though set in entirely dissimilar countries at different points in history, Margaret Atwood’s ‘Alias Grace’ and Hannah Kent’s ‘Burial Rites’ possess significant comparisons. Both for instance, are fictionalized historical novels following the tribulations of a female protagonist convicted of murder and both have been widely acclaimed for their incredible literary style which merges classic poetry, epigraphs, folklore and historical articles with fiction. The most striking parallel between each novel that can be drawn, however, is the way in which authors masterfully craft the stories of untrustworthy, cunning and deceptive criminals to elicit sympathy from their audiences. Readers of the novel and secondary characters alike are gradually pulled into sympathising with ambiguous and untrustworthy female leads, Grace Marks (Alias Grace) and Agnes Magnusdottir (Burial Rites). Despite the heavy suspicions of others and a lack of evidence to support their claims of innocence, these characters present artfully manipulated features of their defence stories to provoke empathy, sympathy and trust from those within the novel, and those reading it.
England has always had a rich history of interesting cultural traditions but arguably none as prevalent as marriage. Marriage, the union of two people with emotional ideals and expectations, are brought on by many different factors that include: for love, for money, for climbing social status, escapism, survival, etc. In Jane Austen’s novels, she focuses on the importance of marriage in her world because she wanted to emphasize how marriage is the most important life event of a woman as this would determine her place in society. Persuasion shows readers good and bad examples of marriage: the amiable Crofts and other couples such as Sir Walter & Lady Elliot and the Smiths. Jane Austen uses the Crofts to support the importance of marriage